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Griner wins 2nd consecutive National Player of the Year Award; Sets sights on WNBA Draft!

Baylor Bears All-American post Brittney Griner earned the Associated Press Player of the Year Award for the second straight season, Saturday afternoon during an award ceremony held at the site of the 2013 Women’s Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The 6-8 senior star, who finished her career as the second all-time scorer in women’s NCAA history with 3,282 points, is just the third player to earn the award in consecutive years. She joins Seimone Augustus of LSU and Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee, who also accomplished this feat. Connecticut’s Maya Moore won it twice in a three-year span.

“Those names are pretty big and to have my name in there is an honor,” Griner said.

The three-time All-American received 37 votes from the 40-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Former Cy Fair and Stanford University product Chiney Ogwumike received two votes and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins earned the other.

Griner, who averaged 23.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocks this season, was joined in New Orleans by her father, Ray Griner, brother DeCarlo Griner, and family friend Ellis Joiner for the ceremony. She is the top shot-blocker, shattering both the men’s and women’s college marks with 748.

WBCA announces 2013 Division I Coaches All-American Team

Baylor, Connecticut and Notre Dame each placed two players on the 2013 WBCA Division I Coaches All-America Team, as announced by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association during a ceremony held at the New Orleans Arena during the 2013 NCAA Women’s Final Four Super Saturday festivities.

The 10-member team was decided from a group of 52 finalists by the selection committee at an in-person meeting held during the 2013 WBCA National Convention.

Here are the members of the 2013 WBCA Division I Coaches All-America Team:

Elena Delle Donne Delaware Senior

Skylar Diggins Notre Dame Senior

Stefanie Dolson Connecticut Junior

Chelsea Grey Duke Junior

Brittney Griner Baylor Senior

Kayla McBride Notre Dame Junior

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis UConn Sophomore

Chiney Ogwumike Stanford Junior

Odyssey Sims Baylor Junior

Alyssa Thomas Maryland Junior

“The 10 student-athletes who have been selected to the 2013 Division I Coaches All-America Team are extremely deserving of this award, “ WBCA CEO Beth Bass said. “These young women have led their teams to be contenders for conference championships and berths in the NCAA Tournament. Each of these young women is one on her team who the coach can turn to in order to take the program to the next level.”

All of the student-athletes were present during the ceremony, which was the 39th year of the WBCA Coaches All-America program, which began in 1975. In that period, remarkably, none of the 390 Coaches All-Americans thus far honored have failed to appear for the announcement.

Texas A&M’s Kelsey Bone to Turn Pro

Former Fort Bend Dulles and current Texas A&M Aggies star Kelsey Bone has decided to forego her senior season and will enter the 2013 WNBA Draft.

The 6-foot-4 Houston native came to Texas A&M after competing her freshman season at the University of South Carolina. During the 2009-10 campaign South Carolina, Bone led the SEC in rebounding and placed eighth in scoring, garnering the SEC Newcomer of the Year Award from the Associated Press and Second Team All-SEC from the league’s coaches. After sitting out due to transfer rules, Bone returned to the court for the 2011-12 season in Aggieland and once again received Newcomer of the Year Honors, this time in the Big 12, and garnered Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades. Bone was second on the team in scoring and ranked third in the league in field-goal percentage and fifth in offensive rebounds.

Bone led the charge for the Aggies’ first season in the SEC during which they earned a program-best eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and claimed the school’s first ever team Southeastern Conference team championship by winning the league’s post-season tournament in Duluth, Georgia.

“The growth and maturity that I have acquired has prepared me to be able to move on to the next phase in my life as I will be entering the 2013 WNBA Draft,” Bone said. “The experiences I have gained at Texas A&M have prepared me for the challenges ahead.”

Bone, who is projected to go in the top-half of the first round in next weeks WNBA Draft, is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in University Studies. She is following in the footsteps of Candace parker, who too chose to turn pro with a season of eligibility remaining in 2008 after leading the Tennessee Lady Vols to consecutive national titles. When drafted, Bone will become the 10th Aggie under head coach Gary Blair to be drafted by the WNBA.

Colas, who has already been in talks with three different shoe companies within hours of signing Griner, will be seeking corporate partnerships beyond traditional women’s basketball shoe and apparel deals.

“While you will not find a more likeable, fun-loving, and humble athlete, Brittney is a trailblazer, challenging a lot of traditional assumptions, so we will consider partnerships with that in mind. She is a revolutionary, but she is comfortable in her own skin. For the right partners, I think that is an exciting opportunity,” Colas said.

Colas competed with both WNBA player agents as well as those who rep NBA players. She said that one reason Griner chose WMG was its strong roster of both Olympic and action sports clients.

Lindsay Kagawa Colas of the Wasserman Media Group is an outstanding professional as an agent and as a individual. She truly cares about everything that evolves around her clients.

Griner, who becomes the 14th player to be represented by Colas, hopes to represent the United States on the women’s basketball team in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. She also represents former UConn stars Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury and Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx.